Salam
I came across this discussion in a useful work entitled ‘Hadiyyah al-Abrar’ by Sh Abd al-Hayy al-Luknawi on the legality of using prayer beads, commonly referred to as a ‘tasbih’ in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Much disinformation is spread amongst unsuspecting sincere Muslims regarding this issue, Inshallah we might attempt in the future to present some further information on this matter which is not currently available on the internet, and tawfiq is only from Allah (the Exalted).
I came across this discussion in a useful work entitled ‘Hadiyyah al-Abrar’ by Sh Abd al-Hayy al-Luknawi on the legality of using prayer beads, commonly referred to as a ‘tasbih’ in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Much disinformation is spread amongst unsuspecting sincere Muslims regarding this issue, Inshallah we might attempt in the future to present some further information on this matter which is not currently available on the internet, and tawfiq is only from Allah (the Exalted).
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Seeing the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) In a Dream and Legal Implications
The above is a question which often popped up in my mind from time to time. Sh Abd al-Hayy deals with it in the marginalia to his above referred work which he called ‘Al-Nufhah bi Tahshiyyah al-Nuzhah’. In his main work (p.51) Sh Abd al-Hayy said regarding a persons dream which indicated towards the permissibility of using a ‘tasbih’:
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Seeing the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) In a Dream and Legal Implications
The above is a question which often popped up in my mind from time to time. Sh Abd al-Hayy deals with it in the marginalia to his above referred work which he called ‘Al-Nufhah bi Tahshiyyah al-Nuzhah’. In his main work (p.51) Sh Abd al-Hayy said regarding a persons dream which indicated towards the permissibility of using a ‘tasbih’:
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I say: This is from the best evidences of the permissibility of using a prayer bead and its being regarded as good. Because whoever sees the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in his dream, has seen the truth, for the Shaitan cannot take on his form as narrated by the the trustworthy notables. So he who sees the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in his dream stating some something to be good regarding which there is no authentic proof that it is not good- then it is good. And that which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) regards as good is also good in the sight of Allah.
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In his marginalia (p.52-53) he wrote:
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This is supported by that which al-Suyuti mentioned in ‘Tanwir al-Hawalik ala Muwatta Malik’ (1:214) that: There occured during the time of Sheikh al-Islam Izz al-Din Abd al-Salam that a man saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and hive him peace) in his dream. He said to him: Go to such and such a place and dig it up, for it contains treasure, take it for yourself and there is no khums (tax) upon you for it. When it became morning he went to that place and dug it up, and found the treasure. He sought a legal opinion from the scholars of his time, and they gave the verdict that there was no khums (tax) due on him due to the correctness of the dream. Sheikh Izz al-Din gave the verdict that the khums (tax) was due on him and said: The most that the his dream can be is at the level of a hadith which is reported with an authentic (sahih) chain, but it is contradicted by that which is more authentic than it which is the hadith reported in the two Sahih’s [2:544, 3:1334] : ‘The Khums (tax) is due on treasure’, and is given preference over it (the mans dream).’
This is supported by that which al-Suyuti mentioned in ‘Tanwir al-Hawalik ala Muwatta Malik’ (1:214) that: There occured during the time of Sheikh al-Islam Izz al-Din Abd al-Salam that a man saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and hive him peace) in his dream. He said to him: Go to such and such a place and dig it up, for it contains treasure, take it for yourself and there is no khums (tax) upon you for it. When it became morning he went to that place and dug it up, and found the treasure. He sought a legal opinion from the scholars of his time, and they gave the verdict that there was no khums (tax) due on him due to the correctness of the dream. Sheikh Izz al-Din gave the verdict that the khums (tax) was due on him and said: The most that the his dream can be is at the level of a hadith which is reported with an authentic (sahih) chain, but it is contradicted by that which is more authentic than it which is the hadith reported in the two Sahih’s [2:544, 3:1334] : ‘The Khums (tax) is due on treasure’, and is given preference over it (the mans dream).’
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Perhaps you may understand/realise from this that the one who says: A dream is not a proof does not mean- as is understood by the common people (awam)- that all dreams are not a proof. Rather they mean the dream of other than the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and a dream being in conflict with that which is established from the evidences of his pure sacred law (shariah).
Perhaps you may understand/realise from this that the one who says: A dream is not a proof does not mean- as is understood by the common people (awam)- that all dreams are not a proof. Rather they mean the dream of other than the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and a dream being in conflict with that which is established from the evidences of his pure sacred law (shariah).
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If you say: What if a person sees the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and he makes compulsory on him a thing which is permissible (mubah) in his sacred law, will this be a proof and will it that thing be compulsory on him, or will it remain at the level of permissibilty.
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I say: They have differed over it, there are those that say: It is not compulsory on him, because his speech is compulsory and necessary to obey if it occurs during the period of legislation, which is the time of his earthly life. As for his speech in the next worldly life it does not make compulsory.
I say: They have differed over it, there are those that say: It is not compulsory on him, because his speech is compulsory and necessary to obey if it occurs during the period of legislation, which is the time of his earthly life. As for his speech in the next worldly life it does not make compulsory.
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And (there are those) that say it is becomes necessary on him because there is no doubt in the vision of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) due to the impossibility of shaitan taking his form. Therefore a vision of him is not similar to a vision of others than him. He (Allah bless him and give him peace) is alive like a worldly life, therefore it is necessary to obey his words in this situation also. The most that can be said is that it is not a proof upon other than him (the one seeing the dream).
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If you say: What you have said differs with that which Muhammad al-Khatib al-Shirbini al-Shafi mentioned in his ‘Al-Iqna Sharh Mukhtasar Abi Shujah’ (1:235): That there is no consideration given to the words of one who says: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) informed me in a dream that the night is the first of Ramadan. Fasting based on it is not correct by consensus, due to the absence of accuracy of the one seeing it (the dream), not because of a doubt regading the dream.
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I say: There is no difference, as it (the dream) is not considered here because because he (Allah bless him and give peace) linked the fast to the sighting of the crescent (hilal), as he said: ‘Upon seeing the moon, begin your fast and upon seeing the moon, end your fast’ reported by Muslim (2:762] al-Tirmidhi [3:68] and other than them.
If you say: What you have said differs with that which Muhammad al-Khatib al-Shirbini al-Shafi mentioned in his ‘Al-Iqna Sharh Mukhtasar Abi Shujah’ (1:235): That there is no consideration given to the words of one who says: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) informed me in a dream that the night is the first of Ramadan. Fasting based on it is not correct by consensus, due to the absence of accuracy of the one seeing it (the dream), not because of a doubt regading the dream.
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I say: There is no difference, as it (the dream) is not considered here because because he (Allah bless him and give peace) linked the fast to the sighting of the crescent (hilal), as he said: ‘Upon seeing the moon, begin your fast and upon seeing the moon, end your fast’ reported by Muslim (2:762] al-Tirmidhi [3:68] and other than them.
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Therefore if no one sighted the crescent connected to the fast of Ramadan, it is not correct based solely on that dream, because it is differs with his established sacred law and is interpreted as a defect in the understanding or hearing of the of the one who had the dream, understand this and remain firm on it.
Therefore if no one sighted the crescent connected to the fast of Ramadan, it is not correct based solely on that dream, because it is differs with his established sacred law and is interpreted as a defect in the understanding or hearing of the of the one who had the dream, understand this and remain firm on it.
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And from those who chose (the view) that his order in a dream is not compulsorily binding, not because of a doubt in the dream, but because of the absence of reliability, is Imam Muhiyuddin al-Nawawi al-Shafi as was cited by Shihab Ahmad al-Khafaji al-Hanafi in ‘Nasim al-Riyad Sharh Shifa al-Qadi Iyad’..
And from those who chose (the view) that his order in a dream is not compulsorily binding, not because of a doubt in the dream, but because of the absence of reliability, is Imam Muhiyuddin al-Nawawi al-Shafi as was cited by Shihab Ahmad al-Khafaji al-Hanafi in ‘Nasim al-Riyad Sharh Shifa al-Qadi Iyad’..
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Al-Nawawi was questioned regarding one who saw him in his dream and he ordered him with a matter, is it compulsory on him or not?
Al-Nawawi was questioned regarding one who saw him in his dream and he ordered him with a matter, is it compulsory on him or not?
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He answered him: If it (the dream) does not oppose the sacred law and was specific regarding himself (the one seeing the dream) he should act upon it, but it is not compulsory, because the sleeping person does not accurately/precisely preserve what is said to him, and perhaps may not understand it, or the sign/indication may require interpretation. This is a good statement and does not negate his (Allah bless him and give him peace) words: Whoever see’s me has truely seen me’. End of his words.
He answered him: If it (the dream) does not oppose the sacred law and was specific regarding himself (the one seeing the dream) he should act upon it, but it is not compulsory, because the sleeping person does not accurately/precisely preserve what is said to him, and perhaps may not understand it, or the sign/indication may require interpretation. This is a good statement and does not negate his (Allah bless him and give him peace) words: Whoever see’s me has truely seen me’. End of his words.
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In another place in ‘Nasim al-Riyad’: If a person see’s the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in his dream, and he orders him with a thing, He said: Acting upon what he said is necessary.
In another place in ‘Nasim al-Riyad’: If a person see’s the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in his dream, and he orders him with a thing, He said: Acting upon what he said is necessary.
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There is some detail in it: If it conforms to the sacred law then he acts upon it and it is not necessary for him to order another with it, and if it conflicts with it, then it is not necesary for him to act upon it, because the dream is not accurately preserved by the sleeping person, and is open to interpretation. And this is is the correct view….
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